Home For The Holidays
by Dem0nFl0wer
Summary: 2x1. AU. Duo Maxwell takes a break from his life, which isn't going the way he had planned, to come home over the holidays. He isn't looking forwards to meeting up with his motley family again, though, and he isn't totally prepared when he bumps into his


Home For The Holidays  
Part One: Introduction  
  
  
Quatre Winner's home, or rather, one if his homes, was awash with activity. The servants were frantic, finishing one task just to run to a different part of almost mansion to do another, trying to finish all the preparations before they had to leave that night. Holly was hung from the staircase banisters, mistletoe was strung at the tops of doorways, a Christmas tree was put up, and two weeks worth of food was prepared and set aside in the refrigerator. Trowa Barton stood in the kitchen, listening to the head chef as he told him how to prepare the various dishes. Both he and Quatre had decided the holidays would be best spent without the multitude of help Quatre's sisters usually sent to him, and they were giving them the time off. Which meant, of course, that they would have to fend for themselves.  
  
But that, as Quatre had pointed out, wouldn't be so hard for so many grown adults.  
  
* * *  
  
Chicago was a cold, windy place. The weather had probably been the reason Duo Maxwell had left and moved to California... but now he was back just in time for Christmas, without his wife, and without his son. Duo stumbled out of the airport, prepared the hail a taxi, distraught and frustrated. It certainly didn't feel Christmas-y, with all the traffic that he swore was trying to run him over. True, though, some one was playing the Jingle Bell Rock on a continuous loop over the sounds of traffic, and neon candy canes were hung from lampposts, but... maybe he just wasn't in the mood. It took him five tries to flag down a cab, and he was about to climb in when a familiar voice called out to him.  
  
"Duo Maxwell. Home for the holidays?"  
  
Duo turned around. "Heero? Heero Yuy?"  
  
The Asian man smiled, nodding at Duo. "I knew it was you. Do you want a ride?"  
  
Duo sighed, looking back at the taxi cab. It was no doubt cold, and not comfortable at all. And he remembered Heero drove a BMW in his youth... "Sure. Why not?"  
  
Heero smiled again, moving to get Duo's luggage from where the braided boy had just stowed it in the trunk. "Are you headed to the Winner home?"  
  
Duo nodded. It was an hour and a half away from the airport, but Heero was no doubt heading there any way. "Yeah. What are you doing here at the airport?"  
  
"I just came back from a business trip."   
  
Duo followed the other boy as he led the way to the parking lot, stopping in front of a new Lexus. Heero pressed the button on his key chain to unlock the doors, and Duo let himself into the passenger's side as Heero put his luggage away. Heero joined him a few seconds later, turning on the engine and flooding the car with heat. Duo held his hands over the small heaters as Heero pulled out of the parking space, just now realizing how cold he had been. "I haven't seen you in years."  
  
"Fourteen," Heero supplied. Duo turned his head to study him, to see if there was any bitterness at all in his expression. But his face was completely void of any emotion at the moment. It reminded him of when he had first met the other boy. "Not since graduation."  
  
"So. What have you been up to?"  
  
"This and that."  
  
So he had reverted back to his curt answers. Duo sighed, looking out the window, wishing he hadn't mentioned their time apart. "So you still live in the same old place?"  
  
Heero flexed his fingers around the steering wheel before relaxing into his chair. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. Where are you now?"  
  
"Sunny California." Duo smiled sadly, thinking he could be wearing a t-shirt right now if he was home.  
  
"Were you that eager to get away from me?" Heero chuckled a little, trying to turn the self-depreciatory remark into a joke. Duo snapped his head at the comment, surprised that Heero had said it, but Heero was just staring out into the highway.  
  
"No, I...no. It's just that's where we ended up." He didn't notice Heero blanch slightly at the use of the word 'we'.  
  
Heero swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering why he was torturing himself by bringing up the past. "So how are the wife and kid?"  
  
Duo frowned. "There's no wife any more, we're separated. And as for Solo, he decided he'd rather spend winter break with his boyfriend family than with my little dysfunctional one."  
  
Heero nodded, deliberately constraining himself from reading too much into the first half of Duo's statements. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"Isn't Solo a little young to be staying with his boyfriend?"  
  
Duo closed his eyes and groaned. "That's what I think too. He thinks I should be grateful, that he's informing me of his plans to lose his virginity and he's doing it in a safe and loving environment. Kids today, he's only fourteen. But Hilde decided he'd go and do it anyway, without our consent, so... there's really nothing I can do about it. But that's enough about me... what have you been up to?"  
  
"I've taken over my father's business." Heero pulled into an exit, looking for a gas station. He hadn't realized his tank was so low on fuel. "Do you want anything from the station?"  
  
Duo shook his head, not willing to let Heero spend money on him. "I think I'll get some sunflower seeds while you're pumping gas, though."  
  
Heero smiled slightly. Duo had always loved sunflower seeds. Heero stopped his car at an Exxon, both of them getting out as Heero locked the door. Duo ran through the cold into the gas station, shivering once he was in. He would never get used to this cold again. He went to the rest room first to freshen up, then almost skipped to the aisle with the snack foods, bringing a slim package up to the register and looking out the glass storefront. Heero had already paid for the gas and was back outside.   
  
Duo ripped open the package, opting to stay inside the store until Heero was finished. He spilled some of the seeds into his hand, then into his mouth, leaving the station only as he saw Heero lifting the nozzle out of the gas tank. Then he ran out, sliding into the passenger's seat just as snow started falling. Duo smiled slightly. He kind of liked snow.  
  
"Did you get your sunflower seeds?"  
  
Duo nodded happily as he continued to chew on the tiny things, his face an expression of contentment.   
  
"There's something strange about eating sunflower seeds in the winter, if you ask me."  
  
Duo laughed a little. "Well, I never asked, did I."  
  
Heero smiled, sneaking a glance over at his longtime friend. Duo looked really good. He had always been handsome, but he looked especially nice today. Or maybe it was just that Heero hadn't seen him in so long. Duo was dressed in a loose white sweater that still managed to cling to his chest and shoulders, made out of some soft cloudy material, over a pair of semi-tight black jeans and short black leather boots. He had one leg propped up against the dashboard, the other stuck straight out in the opposite direction, chin held up in the palm of his hand.  
  
Heero turned his head away, focusing on driving, somewhat ashamed that he had been staring. Duo had never, ever really returned his clumsy advances, and he knew his interest wasn't wanted. They drove the rest of the way in mostly silence, sometimes having bits of conversations here and there. Heero finally pulled up to Duo's house, and they sat in the car for a moment in awkward silence.  
  
"Thanks for the ride, Heero."  
  
"Any time." Duo's hand was laying motionless on the leather seat cushion beside his thigh, and he couldn't help himself. He reached out and put his hand over Duo's, pressing his palm gently against the soft skin. "I'm glad you're home."  
  
Duo fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at Heero's hand over his own. After a few moments Heero realized what he was doing, reluctantly drawing his hand away and blushing in shame.  
  
"I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to do that. I mean, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I know..." Heero clenched his eyes shut and sighed, leaning into the steering wheel, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Look, Heero, it's okay." Duo shifted in his seat, unbuckling his seat belt. "Don't bother getting up, I can handle my stuff myself."  
  
Heero didn't watch as Duo got up and out of the car, walking to the trunk of the Lexus. He wanted to help the other boy, but Duo's earlier statement had sounded rather like a command, and he didn't want to make their now tentative friendship any more awkward. He started the car up again as Duo walked to the house, then drove off as Duo disappeared inside.   
  
Duo unlocked the front door, slipping inside quietly. He could hear voices coming from the living room, but he really didn't want to talk to any one that would be in there right now. Instead, he snuck up the staircase towards his childhood room, opening the door to be comforted by the smell of vanilla and cedar. It was just like he remembered it... posters, furniture, even the covers on the twin sized beds were all the same as he remembered. On some level, it was nice to be home. He just hoped he could live through the holidays.  
  
Duo dumped his luggage on the bed, opening his back pack first. Inside sat several packs of sunflower seeds... but he hadn't packed any. He sighed sadly. "Heero." 


End file.
